Eastlea Community School

Inspection of Eastlea Community School Pretoria Road, Canning Town, London, Essex E16 4NP

p.1

Inspection dates: 20–21 November 2019 and 5 February

p.1

Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 20–21 November 2019 and 5 February 2020

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of Eastlea. Most believe that the school is a happy and safe place. They know that staff will look after them if they have concerns. However, leaders and governors have not kept a close enough eye on some aspects of safeguarding. For example, they have not ensured that effective systems are in place for school trips.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff teach pupils how to get on well with others. Most pupils are polite and friendly. Pupils sometimes do not behave well in lessons. This disrupts the learning of their classmates, who want to get on with their work. Pupils find it unfair when adults do not deal with poor behaviour in a consistent manner. Most pupils say that when bullying happens, staff deal with it. Some feel that staff do not do enough to stop aspects of bullying such as name-calling.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. They are now learning more than they did before. This pleases pupils and parents and carers. Nonetheless, they are also frustrated about the things that are still not good enough. All subject departments are improving, but staff do not plan and teach some subjects well enough. Pupils do better in some subjects than others. For example, they do better in geography, history and physical education (PE). Some older pupils do not attend school often enough, and this means they miss out on their learning.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and governors have not worked well enough together for the good of the school. This has meant that pupils have not achieved as well as they should, and GCSE results have been too low. The interim principal and other new leaders want to improve the school and have plans in place to do that.

p.2

better?

Leaders and governors are ambitious to improve the school, but they have not worked well enough together.

p.2

better?

Pupils have not achieved as well as they should. GCSE results in 2019 were not good enough. Improvement has been slow, but the school is getting better. In some subjects, leaders have thought with care about what they teach pupils. They have considered the best order in which pupils can learn essential knowledge and skills. These subjects include PE, history and geography. Pupils particularly like PE and wish it were available as a GCSE subject.

p.2

better?

Pupils’ achievement in mathematics, English and business studies is not as strong. There remain some gaps in teachers’ planning. In science and music, too, teachers’ plans of what pupils should learn are unclear. Leaders squeeze too much scientific content into Years 7 and 8 for pupils to deepen their learning. Improvement in music is slow because, despite their hard work, leaders lack expertise in the subject. Leaders are keen to sort out these problems. They are making further changes. They are reviewing the time allocated for each subject in Years 7, 8 and 9. Leaders 20–21 November 2019 and 5 February 2020

p.2

3

want to help pupils learn all that they need to before they choose their GCSE subjects.

p.3

3

Leaders and staff understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They make sure that pupils receive specialist support. Shortcomings in subject planning mean that, as with other pupils, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

p.3

3

Leaders make sure that boys and girls take part equally in competitive sports matches. This helps build a strong school community. There are few other opportunities for pupils to develop their personal and social skills or deepen their wider interests. Leaders have developed a mentoring programme that aims to support pupils’ well-being. It contributes to their personal, social and health education. Nonetheless, it is not given enough importance. Pupils do not find some of the content helpful or meaningful.

p.3

3

Some staff do not believe that leaders support them well, particularly in managing poor behaviour. Pupils sometimes arrive late for lessons and teachers do not start lessons on time. Some pupils have poor attendance with little sign of improvement over time. Leaders check on the pupils who attend off-site provision. They make sure that these pupils attend and achieve well.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders and governors have not paid enough attention to key aspects. They have not been rigorous or consistent in overseeing risk assessments for school trips. Pupils with complex medical needs have clear care plans in place. However, some other records do not state the action taken following accidents or incidents. Staff are not given enough guidance on how to meet some pupils’ medical needs, for example in relation to asthma.

p.3

Safeguarding

Adults are well trained and knowledgeable about safeguarding risks and procedures. They identify pupils who are at risk of harm and report concerns. Records and responses from leaders show a culture of vigilance in this respect.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders and governors have not paid close enough attention to important parts of safeguarding. Risk assessments are not rigorous and records relating to pupils with medical needs or who have had accidents are not thorough enough. Leaders and governors need to make sure that risk assessment procedures are rigorous, and that health and safety records are sufficiently detailed. 20–21 November 2019 and 5 February 2020

p.3

4

 Leaders and governors have not worked as well as they could to improve the quality of education. This has meant that the school has not improved as quickly as it could. Leaders and governors need to have a commonly agreed strategy for improving the school that shows evidence of impact.  Not all subjects have a coherent curriculum. Pupils do not gain knowledge and skills in a logical, ambitious sequence. In some subjects, such as English, mathematics, business studies, science and music, development has been slow. School leaders should hasten work to ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is as strong as in the best, and that enough time is allocated in key stage 3.  Attendance levels are too low. Some pupils, especially in Years 9 to 11, are missing out on their learning because they do not attend well. Leaders and governors should ensure that attendance levels are at least in line with the national average.

p.4

4

 Provision for pupils’ wider development is focused on sport and physical activity. The school’s wider work to promote the arts and other disciplines is limited. Leaders should develop pupils’ cultural capital and personal development more thoroughly.  Some lessons are interrupted by poor behaviour. Lessons sometimes start late because pupils and staff are not ready. Pupils are not confident that they can rely on staff to help them. Staff are not always sure that they have the support of leaders in helping them to manage behaviour. Leaders should ensure that behaviour management procedures are clear and are implemented consistently.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 20–21 November 2019 and 5 February 2020

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10110355 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

p.5

School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,128

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 12–13 July 2017

p.5

Information about this school

 This is an average-sized comprehensive school. It serves a diverse community in east London.  The school has special resources for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties.  A small number of pupils receive full-time alternative provision at Education Links.  An interim principal has been in post since the start of January 2020.

p.5

Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 We initially inspected the school on 20 and 21 November 2019. On 5 February 2020, two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors returned to the school to gather further 20–21 November 2019 and 5 February 2020

p.5

6

evidence about leadership and management, and safeguarding. The evidence gathered from all three days was used to inform the final judgements.  We met with the principal, the interim principal, vice-principals, assistant principals and many staff in other leadership positions. We also met with governing body members, including the chair and vice-chair. We met with, and spoke by telephone to representatives from the local authority.  We met with several staff and groups of pupils. We also talked with pupils informally around the school.  We did deep dives in English, mathematics, science, geography, music, business studies and PE. This involved visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, talking to staff and subject leaders, looking at subject plans, and meeting pupils who study those subjects. We also considered other subjects as part of this inspection.  We looked carefully at the school’s policies, documents and procedures about

p.6

6

safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. These included the single central record of checks that leaders have made on adults working in the school. We looked at risk assessments, child protection records and details of staff training. We met with staff, including the designated safeguarding leader, and governors, parents and pupils to talk about safeguarding.  We considered the 157 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, and additional written comments from them. We took account of 44 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and additional written comments and letters from them. We evaluated the 298 responses from pupils to Ofsted’s online survey.  We observed pupils’ behaviour around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes. We also observed pupils at the beginning and end of the school day.  Inspectors were aware during this inspection that a serious safeguarding incident

p.6

6

relating to pupils at the school is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the school in response to the incident were considered alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

p.6

Inspection team

Robin Hammerton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Sarah Murphy Her Majesty’s Inspector 20–21 November 2019 and 5 February 2020

p.6

7

regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7